Returning Warriors
by SkywalkerT-65
Summary: Every story has it's beginning. The Abyssal War is no different, and those hectic early days when humanity stood alone save for the first few kanmusu, ship girls, were deadly. But one of the first back, USS Saratoga, would fight hard to keep those she cared about safe. After all...what else was there, for a warship, but to keep people safe?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Y'know, KC has pretty much taken over my muse. I have not posted most of it here- am now, since I will be _damned_ if I see Sara's character butchered -but it's the truth. I've done so much writing in this fandom it isn't even funny. So here we are.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1:**

Crystal blue waters shined in the bright light of a Pacific afternoon. Gentle waves rolled along, brushing against the hulls of a pair of small ships. The boats sat in the middle of a calm atoll, the sun beating down on them, warming their hulls. This was Bikini Atoll, famous for one thing. All the nuclear tests performed there, starting with one specific pair of tests. Tests that were why anyone bothered coming to Bikini in the first place, the atoll otherwise uninhabited.

 _Crossroads..._

Sighing, I held a hand to my eyes, standing atop one of those boats. Salt-tinged wind blew through my dark hair, blowing the short strands back. Green eyes looked out at the atoll...looking for one thing in specific. I knew I wouldn't see it from this angle of course. But I had to look anyway, if only to mentally prepare myself. Coming here had not been an easy decision to make.

It was never going to be one.

But I _had_ to come. If only while I was still young enough to make the trip.

"You know, bro, you can't see her from here." A voice spoke up behind me. Teasing, with an undercurrent of sisterly concern.

A small smile crossed my face, as I lowered my hand and turned around. My sister's frowning face greeted me, lips down-turned in an expression that never quite had fit on her face.

It had become all too common since we set out on this little jaunt across the Pacific.

"I know, but..." my own smile faded in place of the complicated feelings running through my chest. A deep sigh replaced it...one that held more than it may appear. "I have to prepare myself."

"Yeah, I know that." To her credit my sister didn't comment on that beyond a sad shake of her head. She never had judged me for this, though plenty of people _had_ in the past. Instead, all she did was tug my arm, pulling me into a loose hug.

Let it be known I'm not exactly the 'huggy' type. I'm more uncomfortable than not, being held by someone. But honestly? I wasn't going to complain in this situation.

"Just don't let anyone else see you like this, you big softy," her soft voice whispered against my ear, a trace of humor in it. "You're a Captain for God's sake, act like it."

"Yes ma'am, Admiral Lena," I shot back, feeling my heart lift if only by a little. That my sister, younger than me by a decade and most assuredly no _Admiral_ punched my arm lightly...well, that helped.

Still, I pulled back from hugging her, the two of us turning back to the atoll. Despite breaking the hug, Lena continued to lean against me though. Her voice was soft as we looked out at the atoll, her blue eyes alternating between me and the equally blue waters.

"You know I've never judged you for this, or anything else really," she squeezed my arm gently, voice soothing as the breeze. "But if you're acting like...a moody teenager when we join the others, you'll have to answer questions. And we know what happens every time you try to explain this to someone."

I couldn't help the snort, though there was no real humor in it. No, I doubt I could manage any humor right now. "They'd call me a sentimental fool, attached to a hunk of rusting metal. Trust me, I know."

Lena squeezed my arm again, before pulling away. She sighed, hand tying back her long brown hair, before she turned those blue eyes fully on me. Her much more usual smile was back on her face, as she gestured down at the little launch tied alongside our yacht.

Well, more a close friend's yacht that I had called in a favor to borrow. Same difference.

Either way, I nodded at the gesture and adjusted the pack on my back. Our scuba gear, the heavy weight serving to remind me of why the two of us were out here. Coming to Bikini...it wasn't exactly someone did on a whim. Certainly not by boat. It was out of the way, heavily policed, and not exactly a stopover one could use. The ten-thousand dollars needed for the two of us to come here?

 _That was all my savings, and I know Lena spent more than she should have as well. All because I finally found a chance to come out here..._

I never could pay her back.

"Hey, sis?" Still, I turned around before I started down the ladder to the launch.

Lena raised an elegant eyebrow at me, her own pack shifting on her shoulders, "Yeah Danny?"

"Thanks for this. You didn't have to come along, you know. God only knows what this did to your savings and I..."

I was expecting my sister to shake her head, honestly. What I wasn't expecting, was her to start laughing. Soft laughter, not mocking in the slightest.

"Oh bro, you worry too much." Lena patted me on the shoulder, moving past me to clamber down into the launch. She continued speaking as she did so, her voice never once losing that soft tone. "I wasn't about to let you come out her all alone. Not for something like this."

Setting her pack down in the launch, the brunette looked up at me with a lopsided grin crossing her face.

"'sides, I may not be as attached to the old girl as _you_ are, but I can understand why you wanted to come out here."

She turned away at that, setting about getting our little trip situated. Good thing too...as I didn't wipe a stray tear from my eye. No, I just brushed a bit of salt from it, adjusting my pack so I could clamber down into the launch as well.

Lord only knew I didn't deserve having her sometimes. Lena always had been the only one to _really_ understand what I felt like, when it came to this place. Neither of our brothers did. Our parents didn't. My friends and comrades didn't. It was only her, and I could never really thank her for that.

* * *

"...and here we are, USS _Saratoga_. She was one of the first..."

I won't lie, I more or less tuned out our tour guide. Anything he could say was something I already knew by rote. _Had_ known, since I was first able to read about World War II. I understood that part of the appeal- and cost -of these trips was detailed history about the ships involved in the Crossroads tests. And maybe, maybe, I could benefit from learning more about the lesser-known ships like _Sakawa_. But Sister Sara?

No.

She was the entire reason I was here, and I could probably say I knew more than our guide. At one point, that might have put a smile on my face. Now...now I struggled to keep my shoulders from shaking. Lena's gentle grip on my arm helped matters there, but not by much. Because the crystal clear waters of Bikini Atoll?

They were a double-edged sword.

Beautiful as they were, they also allowed for one to look over the side of a boat, and see the wrecks littering the lagoon. Oh not all of them of course. Some were too deep for that, even with Bikini's water. But _Saratoga_ was not one of those. The top of her island was only fifty feet down, and even without that, the old girl was large. It may only be a dark splotch from this angle, but...but...

 _I knew._

"Danny, are you...?" Lena leaned against my side, whispering in my ear. Worry was clear in her tone, as she gripped my arm tightly.

I just put on a smile, shaking my head, "No, I'm not. But don't worry, I'll...I'll be alright."

If any of the other divers had noticed, they didn't show it. Most just seemed eager to get in the water. Only one or two were even paying any real attention to the history lesson, and in any other circumstance, that would have me clenching my fist. _Sara_ was forgotten enough as it sat...visiting her grave without the common courtesy of actually learning about her?

But no, I wasn't in any shape to get angry.

"Alright then, let's get into the water. Remember, she may be a safe dive, but do be careful around _Saratoga_. The deck is collapsing, and if you aren't careful you could get caught in something. Stay with a buddy diver at all times, and if anything happens, signal for help."

The tour guide, having finished his history lesson, was the first to hop into the water. He sent a cheerful grin up at the other divers, gesturing them to the rope mooring the buoy marking _Sara's_ resting place. That rope was our way down, and our way up. And as I jumped into the water and swam to that rope, it was all I could do to keep my breathing steady. Lena was by my side the entire time, her eyes staring at me worryingly from behind her goggles.

It probably didn't help that my hands shook, as I put my own goggles on.

 _I...it's time. I don't know if I'm ready for this. I don't know if I'll_ ever _be ready. But...I'm here now._

Sucking in one last breath of fresh air to steady my nerves- it didn't work -I finished setting up my dive gear. Most of the others had already descended beneath the waves, leaving only a straggler or two...and myself with my sister.

"It'll be alright Danny," Lena placed her hand on my shoulder, a small smile on her face as she got in her last words before putting her own mask on. "Just...let's pay our respects, and get back to the yacht. Yeah?"

I numbly nodded, unable to say anything even now. Taking in a shuddering breath, I ducked under the gentle waters of Bikini Atoll, beginning my dive to the reason I was here. The forms of the other divers were faint as they spread out in front of me, coming for their own varied reasons. I was...willing to bet none were quite so personal however.

For my eyes only barely noted the others.

 _Saratoga._

The dark and imposing form visible from the surface quickly faded into something much more recognizable.

And all the more painful for that fact.

No longer a black blob, I could see defined details as I slowly descended, breath quickening at the sight. The greenery of sea life was the first feature, spread over the 'hill' raised in the atoll. But...it only barely covered the details. My hand clenched painfully in it's glove, as I pushed ever lower into the clear waters, rapidly approaching...the collapsing flightdeck of USS _Saratoga_.

 _I knew it would be bad, but I didn't...I..._

I couldn't even finish the thought, gently touching down at last on the deck of Sister Sara. I could feel the _give_ in that deck, kicking off to avoid causing further damage. Not that it would have mattered...time and the Navy had done more than enough of that themselves. Biting back a cry of frustration, I swam along the deck. Peripherally, I noted Lena giving me some space. She stayed close, but not too close.

I couldn't thank her enough for that.

Because right now, I needed space.

Space and...time. Time to acknowledge that I was finally where I had wanted to be...and had no idea what to do.

My legs kicked on instinct, mind wandering. Green eyes scanned along the rusting hull, as I gently reached out with one of my hands. It brushed along the old deck, sea life fleeing from my movements. Life. Even in death, _Sara_ supported someone. That had always been what she did, wasn't it? The quiet supporter in the background. The one everyone forgot and took for granted while _Enterprise_ and the others took the limelight. Always there when she was called on, even if her luck left her in dock when the big battles happened.

And _how_ she been repaid for that. Turned into a target and left to rot alone.

 _Damn it...she deserved better. At least give her a memorial. Or...or..._

I clenched my fist again, slamming it into my leg, refusing to do more damage to the tired old girl. I didn't need to see my sister to know she was probably swimming in my direction now, but I didn't care. I didn't care about much of anything really.

 _Even after everything, she's forgotten. If it weren't for being easily dived, would any of these people give a damn about her? Do any of these people give a damn about her_ now _? Other than as a nice diving spot? Hell, Oriskany is there too. But she was_ meant _to be a reef. Sara was tossed aside, like so much trash._

Releasing my fist, I kicked off again, noting the collapsed elevator in the distance, but not going in that direction. I...I didn't think I could go inside her. If anything would break me...

 _All that time fighting in the war. All that time training our pilots. Sara_ built _our carrier arm. And the only thing people remember her for, is being a target. If they even know the name, it's only 'that carrier we nuked'. How did she deserve that? How did every man who ever served on her, deserve their_ home _being remembered only for Crossroads?_

I knew the answer of course. Because the Navy needed to know how nukes would impact fleets, and Sara was the most _expendable_ fleet carrier we had. They would never nuke the new _Essex-_ class ships. The public would eviscerate them if they even _suggested_ using _Enterprise_. _Ranger_ was hardly a good example of a fleet carrier's damage potential.

That left tired old _Sara_. However bitter a taste it left in my mouth.

I hated it.

I always _had_ hated it. She deserved so much more than being remembered as nuke fodder.

But there was hardly any point in fighting it. This was what Lena and I had been talking about. I _cared_ about Sister Sara. My favorite ship...one that didn't get near the recognition she deserved. And one that I was mocked for.

 _'Oh, don't you mean Enterprise?'_

'What a hunk of junk. You like that old thing?'

'The only thing she was ever good for was being nuked.'

I had heard my fellow Navy men tell me these things. It was worse talking to friends who had no attachment to any ships. Because they had no idea who I was talking about, at all. _Saratoga_? The name might as well mean nothing to them.

It was horrible, when I actually tried explaining _how much_ I cared about _Saratoga_. The mocking laughter. The insults about how I was too attached to a 'rusting hunk of irradiated scrap'. God forbid I care about a ship. I knew she wasn't alive. Never was. But that didn't mean I couldn't care about her _history_. But none of that mattered...not then, and not now.

Because the thoughts were shattered in my mind, as I came across the one thing I had truly been dreading.

 _No...no no no no no no no no no_

The old carrier's island, standing alone and forlorn. Her distinctive smokestacks were decades gone, and I had _known_ that. I'd seen the pictures. Watched the videos. But seeing them _gone_...seeing _Sara's_ island, slowly but surely collapsing onto her ruined flightdeck? It _hurt_.

My breath caught in my throat, constricting tightly. My eyes misted over, as I blinked rapidly to try and clear the...tears. I knew I was shaking. I knew that if any of the other divers saw me, they would laugh. But it was only me and Lena, floating up to the once imposing island.

It wasn't imposing now. Collapsing, covered in green sea life. Rusting away, pieces falling away from decades under water and the collective damage of two nuclear detonations. It was...it was...

Painful. So very painful.

This, more than anything else. More than the holes where the stacks had once been. More than the collapsing flightdeck. It was the sight of the island, falling to pieces and alone in the dark, that truly hit me. This truly drove home, just _what_ condition Sister Sara was in. Seeing it in video form did not do justice to seeing it in person. It took everything I had, to keep swimming up to the island. My legs shook with each kick. My hands clenched by my sides.

And there was nothing I could do about it.

 _Hello, Sara. I...I'm glad to see you're still intact, even as much as this hurts._

I was fooling myself to think anyone could hear my thoughts, but it...it helped. It helped as I placed a shaking hand on the old metal in front of me. There wasn't the give of the flightdeck, but I still felt that if I _pushed_ hard enough, I could cause damage. Because for all that the island could still look imposing from a distance...

 _Sara_ was falling apart.

 _I'm sorry that you've been left like this. People forgot so easily all you did for us. All that your crew did. So many brave sailors and airman gave their lives on you, but it didn't matter in the end. And now, you're here...forgotten. I don't think I'm the only one who cares for you to come here...but I hope that I at least can say I was respectful. Even if no one else is. Even if none of the other people here with me today care about you at all beyond an expensive diving trip._

I just hope that...I hope that you can rest well. Know that at least someone remembers you for what you

were _...not what you are now._

Squeezing down on the rusted railing, I shook my head. My arm still shook...but I felt strangely at peace, now that I had 'said' my piece, as it were. Like a warm blanket had fallen over my shoulders...the person draping it telling me it would be alright. It was silly, I know...but it was how I felt.

It wasn't enough to bring a smile to my face, no.

But it was enough to steady my emotions, as I turned from the island. I knew most would swim up and peak into Sara's bridge...but I couldn't. I had done what I came to do and if I tried to do more...I would just hurt myself. And so, I swam to Lena, gesturing up at the surface. I could only see her eyes, but that didn't matter. I could see the concern in those blue dots, making me shake my head.

 _I'm not okay sis. But I'm...better. Let's just get back to the yacht, so I can...absorb everything._

Even as we swam to the surface though, I looked back down on Sara one last time. My hand, quivering as it was, came up in a sharp salute. I could almost imagine being saluted back too, as I turned and swam to the surface.

My time was all too short...but at least I had finally paid my respects to the one ship I had always cared about.

* * *

 _Just like always, they come and go. How many years has it been...since someone stayed by my side? I don't know...everything fades to black when I'm alone. I've been here so long...everything is falling apart. It won't be much longer until everything is gone. And still, I sit here, silent and alone._

Those who visit me. They never stay for long, and don't seem to care about me. I'm a landmark to them, perhaps, but nothing more. They don't care like my crew did. They never have. I'm nothing but a pile of metal to swim around and look at.

Maybe I might have been happy to be remembered, but...I'm not. I'm not remembered. I'm just a place for people to come and visit, leaving as quickly as they come. Lexington...you were right. I almost wish I had been forgotten...

...

... _who is this? Why is he shaking like that? He isn't hurt is he?_

No.

He's not hurt.

Then why is he...?

...gentle. So gentle. No one else has ever touched me like that. He's just...treating me like something more than a pile of metal. Why? No one else has, that I can remember. Maybe a historian or two, but never...never like this. And I...I think he's crying. Why would someone cry over

me _? I..._

He cares about me. I don't know why or how I know. But he cares. More than anyone I've ever met here. At least as much as my old crew, though I haven't seen any of them since...since I sank. Why would he care this much? Why

should _he care this much?_

And does it matter?

No.

It doesn't.

I'm...happy he cares. No one has in so long. But...he needs to go. I can

feel _how this is hurting him. I never thought about it this way before, but I can tell now. Seeing me like this is hurting him. I don't want him to hurt. I'm happy someone cares about me. But I don't want that to come at the cost of hurting them. Please...leave me be. I don't want you to hurt yourself on my behalf..._

...

...he's leaving. The others are too. I...will be alone again. But, maybe that's not so bad? At least now I know I haven't truly been forgotten. Someone cares about me. That's enough. I can rest again, knowing that there is someone out there who thinks of me as more than a pile of steel. What more could any old ship truly ask for, in the end? Being remembered again...yes. I think I like that.

Now I can rest...until the next group comes to see me again...

...

...

No!

What's going on?! Something's attacking us!

Get out of here!

 _..._

What? I...what is this feeling? Wrong wrong wrong.

Something is very wrong. Someone is being hurt, on the surface. This is supposed to be a place of peace. War has never come here, nor have weapons, in so many years. Who could...why...?

I...

No!

He _is being attacked!_

I can't stay here.

I won't stay here.

He won't die, not on my watch. I don't care what I have to do. I don't care how I come back. I won't let him die, not now, not ever. He cares about me. He cares. I won't let him die. He cares. I won't let him die. He...I...care...

YOU WON'T HURT HIM!

* * *

"Get out of here!" I screamed, as the sun set on Bikini Atoll.

The sun set, on a scene of devastation. The return to the surface had been peaceful, and so too had been the rest of the day. Lena and I had returned to our yacht, while the rest of the tour group returned to the live-aboard ship they used. There had been no sign of what would come. No, no sign at all. I had been out of sorts to be fair, Lena having to help my shaking body aboard the yacht to rest.

The trip had taken more out of me than even I had thought it would.

But it had been worth it. I had been able to pay my respects to Sister Sara, and could rest easy now. I could return home, knowing I had done what I had wanted to do for decades. Was that worth it? Yes. Was it painful? Yes. But I was planning on just resting it off and relaxing the rest of the time we were at Bikini, before turning back across the Pacific, to return my friend's yacht to him at Pearl, before flying back home.

 _This is wrong..._

That I would be screaming and trying to take command of a group of scared civilians had never occurred to me.

"Danny, what the hell are those things?!" Lena shouted out at me, perched at the bow of the yacht as she waved at the other ship to keep moving.

"I don't know!" I could only shout back, my eyes widening. Looking out of the atoll, into the setting sun, I saw nothing but...darkness. Ships, dark hulls gleaming in the fading light of the Pacific day. There was something _wrong_ about those ships.

And I don't mean that cruisers from World War II shouldn't be here.

No.

There was something inherently _wrong_. I couldn't say what it was. Perhaps it was the torn hulls and gleaming girders. Perhaps it was the fog floating around them. In the end, it didn't matter. No, all that mattered was that there was something _wrong_.

And that they were firing into the atoll, directly at the live-aboard ship.

"Get out of there!" My sister's panicked voice rang over the atoll, both of us watching as the shells flew through the air...and knowing there was _nothing we could do_.

The other ship flew apart in a burst of flames and debris. Even in my service in the Navy, I had never seen a ship destroyed like that. One second it was there. The next...nothing but floating debris. And I knew, just as much as I knew that ship was doomed...

That we were doomed as well.

"Lena, get off the yacht!" I turned the wheel hard to port, eyes frantically scanning the bridge. Alighting upon a table, I ran over and broke the leg off. I took that piece of wood, and jammed it into the wheel, forcing the yacht to stay in that turn to port. The engine was straining to maintain that turn...but it didn't matter.

We needed to get _off_. _Now_.

"We don't have a way out of the area though!" My sister shouted back at me, instead of jumping into the water. I loved her but...

"Don't argue! Those are cruisers, we can't outrun them! We can't fight! We need to get off, before we're killed!"

Lena looked like she was going to argue anyway, but I silenced her with a look. Even across the hull of the yacht, I could see the defiance in her expression, as she jumped into the water. Grim frown dropping into place, I grabbed a lifejacket, and ran out of the bridge and towards the railing myself. I could see smoke flash from the ships in the distance as I did so, knowing instinctively what that meant.

 _They fired!_

I didn't hesitate, jumping over the railing and into the blood-stained waters of the atoll. But even as I jumped...I felt the heat of the shells. I felt the yacht blown apart behind me.

And I knew one thing.

 _I'm going to die...Sara...at least I saw you before the end..._

...

...

...

"Danny! Danny wake up!"

But I didn't die. I drew in a gasping breath, eyes snapping open. The first thing I saw was Lena's crying face, my sister's water-logged hair clinging to her cheeks. Her ponytail was long gone, hair disheveled and her clothing torn. But she wasn't bleeding. She wasn't _hurt_. That was enough to bring a smile to my face, despite everything else.

"Lena...you're okay..." I coughed out, struggling to...sit up?

I shouldn't be able to sit up...I didn't feel land, and both the ships had been...

My eyes widened, as I saw something else behind her face. Smoke, not from fire, but from a ship. Snapping up so fast my body protested the movement, I spun around.

 _Impossible...this is impossible..._

I would recognize those stacks anywhere, even were it not for the black stripe. That island, no longer rusting away, gleaming in the light of stars and the moon. And for all that it should have been impossible, I could feel the hardwood deck beneath me, rolling gently in the swell of waves.

"We're..." I began, voice cracking even as Lena shook her head.

"Aboard _Saratoga,_ yeah. I don't remember much myself, but...she was suddenly there. And I do mean _she_." My sister moved aside, allowing me to see someone crouched behind her, staring intently at me.

I felt my mouth go dry at the sight of the person who had been behind my sister. Long strawberry blonde hair cascaded down her back, held in place by nothing but an old-style United States Navy cover, and a shining golden hairpin. Intense blue eyes, darker than my sister's, stared right back at me out of what may have been the prettiest face I had ever seen. Her cheeks curved down to a sharp jawline, her nose small over red lips.

But really, those details- and the white uniform tunic over a short black skirt that she wore -were things I latched onto, to center myself. Because as my eyes roamed back to her blue, I saw nothing but happiness.

"You're alright," the woman whispered, her voice softer than any I had ever heard. Soft and _old_. "I'm glad to see that...I...thought you might have died."

" _I_ thought I died," I replied weakly, completely unsure of what was going on. "Who...who are you?"

The woman blushed lightly, though it was hard to see in the darkness. "I...I'm Sara."

"Sara...toga?"

She merely nodded, getting to her feet and walking to my side. I stared up at her, confusion clear on my features. This was...impossible. Completely and utterly impossi...

But then, those ships earlier were impossible too, weren't they?

"She's not lying," Lena's voice spoke up by my side, as my sister helped me to _my_ feet. Her voice was as confused as my own, but there was also a sureness to it, as she looked into my face. "I saw her jump off the side of this ship. She skated along the water, with a flightdeck on her arm and everything. Used a bow to shoot planes into the air and sank those cruisers...I don't know how, but she's..."

"Not normal," Sara finished, a small smile crossing her face. One so small it might have been missed, if I wasn't watching her so intently. "I'm not sure how I came back like this either. Or how my old hull is here. But...I couldn't let you die. You...you..."

The girl trailed off, her voice cracking. I saw tears fall from her eyes, and had no idea _why_. What was so bad about me? Had I done something?

"Hey, what's wrong?" I whispered, hesitantly stepping forward.

Sara stared up at me, tears falling even as she smiled at me, "You _cared_ about me. More than anyone else has. I wasn't going to let you die. I couldn't let you die."

 _She..._

I could feel a flush cross my face at those words...but it warmed my heart too. Had she heard what I thought then? Was that what...brought her back?

Because at this point, I didn't doubt that Sara was who she claimed she was. Lena never lied to me, not about something this important. And who else could have come back with _this_ ship? I didn't even begin to understand what was happening here. Or where to start explaining it. But it didn't matter. What mattered, was that I was alive. Lena was alive.

And apparently, Saratoga was alive.

 _But...what were those ships?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"You don't know, anymore than I do, what those ships were?"

I couldn't help but sigh, rubbing my face. Across from me, Sara flushed a light pink.

"No, I'm sorry Captain. I...I've never seen anything like them. I recognized the design, but there was something..." The girl shrugged helplessly, looking down at the... _her_...deck. "Wrong. Dark. I don't know how to describe it."

Neither did I, and honestly, I was too burnt out to even begin to think about it. I...too much had happened, in too short of a time. This had been meant to be a vacation, one that would...well. Hopefully give me some closure in regards to _Saratoga_ , however painful I had expected it to be. That I would end up, with Lena, as the sole survivors of an attack on Bikini? An attack by World War 2 warships?

That had never occurred to me.

Leave alone the current situation. Sitting aboard a _very much intact_ USS _Saratoga_. With the girl who was the ship's soul, for lack of a better term. None of it made any sense, and probably wouldn't have even if I were in better condition. But despite a bit of lingering pain in my back- I could feel a spidery pattern of burns -I had to take charge.

I was a Captain, and I should damn well _prove_ that.

"Right, well," sighing again, I placed a hand on the map table. Standing inside the carrier's bridge was a novel experience, but I couldn't focus on that...at least not yet. "Our options are to go to Hawaii, or Guam. I need to...report what happened. And since my phone was on the yacht..."

My sister, standing off by the exit onto the island, snorted at that, "Both our phone's were. And those cruisers hit the island first, so..."

"So we don't have a reliable way to contact anyone. I'll admit my knowledge on the subject is fuzzy, but Sara?" I turned back to the carrier, smiling despite myself. She had snapped to attention when spoken to, though she looked...uncomfortable. Like she had never done it before, and really, I doubted she _had_.

That she happened to smile back at me shyly had nothing to do with my own smile, not at all.

"You don't have a really long-range radio, do you?"

Sara shook her head, apologetically. And yet, curious at the same time. "I don't sir, but what do you mean? Contacting Guam from here by radio or telephone..."

My smile grew slightly, helped by Lena snorting again behind me.

"Let's just say that technology has grown a _lot_ since..."

And just like that it was gone. I grimaced instead, at the reminder of why I had gone to Bikini in the first place. Of course, Sara wouldn't know about modern technology. She never had the chance to experience it.

"Danny," Lena, always perceptive to my mood shifts, was quickly by my side. She squeezed my arm, smiling supportively before turning her head to the carrier. "What my brother is trying to say, is that if we had our phones we could get someone on the other side of the planet on the line. You probably only have Morse or something like that though, right?"

The other girl seemed almost...confused...by my reaction. But when Lena spoke to her, Sara turned her attention to _her_ and away from me. Something of a relief, since I didn't really want to talk about...well. Not that there was even a reason to anymore. Right? I mean, the ship beneath me was _not_ the rusting hulk I knew. And the girl in front of me...who knew how she had become this way. But that didn't matter either.

Because Saratoga was a _person_ now.

"Yes, I do," Sara's voice broke my own thoughts, the girl tapping her chin thoughtfully. Blonde hair fell around her face, but she made no move to shift it away. Instead, she looked thoughtful. "I have a radio set, but it is short range. For communicating with other ships and my aircraft, not for long-range. If I wanted to contact home, I would need to use the Morse set. Why?"

Lena smirked at the carrier, as she reached out to pat _me_ on the shoulder. I already knew what that expression and action meant too.

 _Damn it sis._

"Well, I may not be the _military_ member of the family like 'ole Danny here, but from what I know, the military doesn't use Morse all that much anymore," my sister shrugged her shoulders. Her own brown hair cascaded down her back with that movement, still a bit wet from the attack. "I mean, I'm sure we still have people trained in it and the ability to receive it, but technology left that behind decades ago. Right?"

That question was directed at me, and I could only nod unhappily in response, "Right. And honestly, if whatever those things were...would attack somewhere as out of the way as _Bikini_?"

I didn't need to elaborate. Nor did I. Because Lena turned her head away, the smirk vanishing as quickly as it had come. Sara shifted uncomfortably, hands gripping her arms tightly. And I knew why they were acting like that.

Because all logic, if those _things_ operated on logic, indicated that if they could waste a pair of cruisers on somewhere as desolate as Bikini, they probably had many more ships. And had attacked many more places. Even if there were anyone ready to listen for a Morse message from a carrier decades gone, they were either dead or overwhelmed by other calls for help. That was the main reason I had asked my earlier question.

Guam, or Pearl?

Both had advantages. And both had disadvantages. Guam was closer to be certain. And I wanted to get to a naval base, as soon as humanely possible...find out what had happened. Report for duty...determine if I even still had a _ship_ anymore. And most importantly, find out what those monsters were. In that regard, Guam was the better option, since it would take less time to get there.

On the other hand, it was a small base, only a handful of subs and their tender. Which meant I couldn't rely on help. In that regard, Pearl was better. Even now, I could almost certainly expect at least someone to be there ready to sortie. Right? Then again...

 _What if Pearl was hit first?_

"Damn it," I grimaced, holding a hand by my side. This was not an easy choice to make.

"Danny, you should probably rest." Lena, bless her, was more concerned about me. Sisterly love.

But, in this situation, I _had_ to take charge. I couldn't rest, at least until I was certain what exactly we were going to do. Which at this point...I couldn't say that. I just couldn't.

"I will, once I figure out where we should go." I still managed a smile, before sighing again as I looked down on the map. Well, it really came down to one thing, didn't it? "I'm thinking Guam. Sara, what about you?"

The carrier blinked bright blue eyes, shuffling slightly at being put on the spot, "It's not my place to question your..."

"Sara. You probably know a lot more than I can ever know. Guam, or Pearl?" I kept the smile on my face, eliciting a smile in return. The girl was...surprisingly nervous, all things considered. She shouldn't be.

This girl had seen more and done more than I could ever hope to.

"Well...I don't know how much things have changed, but I think Guam is the better option. As long as we still have a naval station there, it's closer than Pearl and we need to meet up with someone first. I don't...even know if I've got any food aboard."

Silence fell again, as Sara flushed, Lena sighed, and I held a hand to my face. Well, that was stupid of me. I had assumed...well. If it came down to it, and Sara had no food aboard, Guam _was_ the better option. Even then, I had to really hope she had _some_ form of food.

Going a minimum of three days without food didn't appeal to me.

"Right then, Guam it is." Pulling my hand from my face, I nodded at the two girls with me. Nodded, and turned my focus to my sister. "Lena, go get some sleep."

"What?!" My sister was quick to protest that. A stubborn set came to her youthful face, blue eyes narrowed in challenge. "Danny, if anyone should be resting it's _you_! I'm not the one who..."

"No, but you _are_ the one who fished me out of the water. Sis, one of us needs to rest. I need to talk with Sara, so that leaves you."

My own tone brooked no argument, the 'Captain Voice' I had to use on occasion. I knew it wouldn't really work on my stubborn sister, but I had to put my foot down here.

It wouldn't do any good for both of us to be tired to the bone. One of us needed to be lucid and well-rested at all times. And that meant that Lena _needed_ to go get some sleep. I could feel the pain in my back, and knew I couldn't sleep yet. Not even that...I needed to be awake to talk with Sara. Figure out what her limits were, what we would need to do to reach Guam safely...a lot of things. At least until we had a plan set up.

God. What kind of plan _could_ we set up?

 _Cross that bridge when we come to it Daniel._

"Lena, I know what you're going to say." I continued, voice softening. Much as her stubbornness could bug me at times, I loved my sister. And in this situation...

I allowed a hug, reaching out to pull her against me. Lena didn't fight it, even she knew better than that right now.

"But, right now, I need to work with Sara and figure out our next move. So get some sleep, and we'll swap out in a few hours. Alright?"

My sister pulled back, still looking fairly mutinous. But even so, she nodded her head, brown hair falling in front of her eyes. "Yeah, I got it Danny. If anything happens..."

I snorted softly at the threat, "I'll get you right away. Get going sis."

Sending one final unhappy look my way, Lena nodded. Her long strides carried her out of the bridge, the sound of angry footsteps echoing through the surprisingly quiet island. At least, until she was too far away to hear. It was only at that point, that I let my shoulders slump. Sometimes, keeping her happy was a lot of trouble. Always had been, ever since was a kid. Such a stubborn one, though it did make me smile sometimes.

Hard not to. She was someone hard to stay angry with.

"Now then, let's figure out what to do, Sara."

Even so, I turned back to the carrier, ready to continue planning our next move.

 _-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-_

In so doing, I quickly discovered one fact about USS Saratoga. For all that she was smart- frighteningly so in fact -and experienced, she was...almost skittish. Nervous? Eh, something along those lines. What mattered, more than specific terminology I was too tired to think about, was that Sara was very easily flustered. And that she didn't like contradicting me on...well, anything. Even though I outright told her I preferred she did. Captain I may be, but a dictator I was not. And in all honesty, in the current situation...

We were cut off from all the modern technology I was used to, and trained to work with.

Sara was the one with the experience here, and I wanted her to use that experience. If I was making a stupid choice, I wanted to know. If I was going to get us all killed because I didn't have her capabilities fully understood, I damn well wanted to know. But here we were.

"Sara, please," I sighed softly, leaning back in the Captain's chair on her bridge. Green eyes followed the girl, as she walked around her map table, occasionally sending looks my way. "Why are you so...worried?"

"I'm not worried," the carrier was quick to shoot back, though the flush to her face betrayed her real feelings on the matter. She shuffled slightly, looking at me, and sighing herself. Sara leaned against the table, her blonde hair falling around her face. "I just...Captain, do you know what it's like to always follow every order you're given?"

"Of course..." I replied instantly, only for Sara to hold her hand up.

The woman smiled at me as she did so...though it was hardly a _strong_ smile. "Not in the way I mean. You can question orders, decide they aren't ethical or you shouldn't follow them. I..."

Lowering her hand, Sara's smile faded. She looked away from me in fact, her lips downturned into a deep frown, nothing like the expressions I was more used to. Why? Was it something I said?

"I couldn't even talk to anyone before. Well, anyone but my fellow warships," Sara clarified, a hint of longing in her tone now. "But the point is, Captain, that I don't even know _how_ to talk with you. I don't know _how_ to question orders. All my instincts tell me to follow your orders to the letter because that's all I've _ever_ done."

You know, it hadn't really occurred to me before. That Sara, for all her intelligence and experience, was a _warship_. She may be human now, I refused to think of her as anything but that, but...the fact remained. She had no social skills or anything like that, did she? Why would she?

 _Well, this is a problem._

"In that case, let's just talk about something else then," I sent a soft smile at the carrier, hoping it would work her down. And it seemed to do so for that matter, Sara smiling back. Besides, I could do with talking about a lighter subject anyway, like... "Can you tell me what it was like, living in the old days?"

I may be in the military now, but the love of history that had lead me to _Saratoga_ and hence to Bikini Atoll, had never gone away. Not once. So, it really wasn't any surprise I gravitated to the idea of talking with Sara herself. About the past. About her life. Anything, really, that she could tell me. It was like talking with my great-grandfather again, but in...a more immediate way. If that made any sense.

Probably didn't.

But hey, it hardly mattered. I had the chance to talk with Sara, and I was sure as hell going to take it.

"I'm not sure how much I can tell you, honestly." Sara was still smiling though, as she sat down in another chair by my side. Bright blue eyes stared back at me, actually looking _happy_ to talk about something other than the plans for getting to Guam.

"Hey, I'll take anything at this point." My tone was joking, but I was entirely serious. "After all, getting the chance to talk with you is something I never thought I would ever have."

Sara's smile turned almost melancholic at that statement, the carrier brushing hair from her face, "I never thought I would talk with _anyone_ , well, anyone that wasn't like me."

"Plenty of time to make up for then."

Sara actually _laughed_ , the sound soft and happy. "Yes, I suppose it is. Well, what do you want to talk about first, Captain?"

That was the question, wasn't it? So many things to talk about, and we really had plenty of time for it. But...

 _If she's like Granddad the war probably isn't..._

"What was it like before Enterprise and the others showed up?" That seemed like a safe enough question to ask, really. I started intently at the carrier, even as I clarified the question a bit though, "I mean, when it was just you, Lexington and Langley."

"That was so long ago..." Sara's eyes took on a far-away look, staring past me, and past her bridge. Her smile didn't fade though, not once. If anything it grew fonder the longer she sat there. At least, until she shook her head to clear it, returning her blue-eyed gaze to me. "It was an interesting time back then. No one really knew _how_ to operate planes from a ship, not really." The girl shrugged minutely, holding her hands up as she did so. "Mama Langley did her best to help, but she didn't really know any better than Lex and I. So we were all learning together with our crews."

I nodded, "You three built our entire carrier doctrine, if I remember right."

"That's right! Oh, I can still remember when Lex and I would play around, trying to outdo the other." Voice taking on an almost excited tone, Sara started waving her hands like they were planes. "We would be put on opposite sides in the old Fleet Problems. Our crews would try different things each time, trying to one-up the other. We won about the same amount of times, honestly."

All I did was nod along, the smile on my face growing. And not even from hearing from someone who had _lived_ these events. No.

I was smiling wider because Sara was losing that nervousness of her's. In fact, the more she talked, the more excited she got. It was almost infectious, and I couldn't help _but_ smile. I could almost forget she was the ship, and just look at her as...an excited girl. Woman. Who was getting a chance to talk to someone who would actually listen to her.

And oh, I would listen to anything she said. She deserved that much, didn't she? Even so, I felt...

"On top of that, we learned how to launch and recover planes properly. Not to mention," Sara continued speaking excitedly but...

My nods were growing slower. I hadn't felt it before, but Sara's voice was lulling me to sleep. I fought it, damn did I fight it. But the more she talked, the more tired I got. I should have been staying awake but I...

I...

...

...

* * *

"Sleep well, Captain."

Saratoga smiled softly, as she wrapped a spare jacket she had found around her new Captain. She had noticed him drifting off while they were talking, but hadn't said anything. Being able to talk with him like that was _so very nice_. But, well, she was a warship first and foremost. Her Captain's well-being came before her own. Always had, always would.

And that thought in mind, she had simply let him drift off, and found the jacket laying behind one of her bridge stations. It was clearly from her own time in service, but...

 _It doesn't matter, because he will be more comfortable._

Smile not fading, Sara nodded once at the slumbering Captain, before turning her head around. "I know you're there."

Only for his sister to shuffle onto the bridge, clearly having gotten no sleep. There were visible rings under her blue eyes, and her brown hair was frazzled and unkempt. But she was alert.

Frighteningly so in fact, her eyes shifting between the carrier and the Captain.

"I see Danny finally passed out," Lena sighed, brushing her hair from her eyes. A tired smile crossed her face at that, before she turned to Sara, "Sorry about him. He's as stubborn as anyone, and really, _he_ needs the rest more than I do. I'm not the one who got blown up."

"He would probably say the same about you, wouldn't he?" Sara asked, but there was no bite to her words. While the young woman in front of her was no sailor, she wouldn't talk back to her.

It seemed like that thought had worked, the woman letting out a weary laugh, "That he would, that he would. Anyway, thanks for...talking with him. I think he needed that."

"Why?"

Curiosity tinged Sara's tone, as the old carrier leaned against one of her bridge stations. She spoke softly and quietly so as not to disturb her Captain, but there was still an urgency in her voice. She had been wondering, from the moment she had come back, why her Captain was so...attached to her. It hadn't made any sense when she was still in...limbo...and it didn't make any sense now. Why would he care so much about her? A tired old ship that wasn't even worth keeping around?

Maybe he was the son or grandson of one of her old crew?

But even that wouldn't explain it. Not the _strength_ of feelings she had felt.

"You want to know?" For her part, Lena just sighed again. The woman crossed her arms over her modest bust, thrusting her chin forward. "Not really my place to say."

"I see..." Sara slumped forward. Her eyes slid down to the deck...she really should have expected that. She was asking a deeply personal question.

So to say she was surprised when Lena stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder, would be an understatement.

"Hey, don't act all mopey on me. You're a carrier, I'm just some civilian." Lena's voice had softened noticeably. As had the expression in her...blue eyes. Eyes that were so similar to Lex's that it had Sara's heart aching. "I'm just saying, there are some things only Danny can tell you. I can at least give you the gist of things though."

"...gist of...?" The old carrier blinked slowly, unfamiliar with that turn of phrase.

"Right...forties..." Lena just rolled her eyes though, smile tugging at her lips. "Anyway, I can tell you the generalities of what he feels."

"Ah!" Sara nodded eagerly.

Even if she needed to ask the Captain himself for the specifics, knowing where to _start_ would help. A lot.

After all...it would give her something to work with. Let her know what questions to ask, and make sure she wouldn't ask something she shouldn't. At least, that was what she _hoped_ was the case. Holding a hand to her heart, Sara did acknowledge that she could hardly be certain that any question she asked _wouldn't_ be painful in some way.

Still, anything helped.

"Like I said, this is really personal for him." Lena continued talking, voice carrying a serious tone that Sara had never really heard from her. Not in the short time the two had known each other. "He's...this is hard to explain, damn it. Danny is a strange one, he tends to get attached to things easily if they...resonate with him. I dunno, that's what he said." The younger woman rolled her eyes fondly, clearly confused and exasperated with her sibling. But loving him nonetheless. " _You_ did. Your story, your history, your design...as long as I've known him, hell longer than I've been alive, he's been fond of you. _You_ , not Enterprise or any of the others. You've been his favorite ship."

Sara flushed bright pink, squeezing her hands by her side. "Really?"

"Yeah. He's always said that you deserved more attention than you get, and sure as hell deserved better than being nuked." The Captain's sister sighed again, rubbing her face. "That's why we were at Bikini in the first place...he doesn't like seeing your...well, your _old_ hull, like that. But he wanted to at least say he visited you, while there was something left to visit."

Sara heard the second part. And she appreciated it.

But it was the first part of that last statement, that had tears pricking at her eyes. It wasn't the first time she had heard those words, in relation to herself. Not the first, not even the second or third. Those words...spoken by another younger woman. A younger _carrier_. One whom Sara had missed, from the moment she had entered that godforsaken atoll.

"Lena...if I can ask another question?" Sara whispered, looking at the other woman with pleading blue eyes. At a nod, the carrier took in a shaky breath, before asking her question, "What happened to L...Lexington?"

Lena blinked, "Lexington? Your sister sank be..."

"No, not my sister. My dau...CV-16." Sara had almost called the younger carrier what she _was_ to her. But that...that was just as personal to _her_ as the Captain's apparent feelings for _her_ were.

"Right..." Lena had clearly realized what Sara almost said. But the brunette just shook her head fondly, not commenting on it. "Lexington is a museum ship, down in Texas. Has been since she was retired back in the '90s."

Perhaps understandably, Sara deflated at that. Her shoulders slumped, the old girl letting out a relieved breath. She had...she had been worried Lexington might have been tossed aside like she was. Serving for longer than any carrier Sara knew, and being turned into a museum? That was a relief on so many levels...at least, so long as those _monsters_ had not attacked her.

The thought had Sara sick, but she wouldn't... _couldn't_...show that.

Her duty, at this moment, was getting to Guam. Anything else, even the girl who was the closest thing to a daughter she would ever have, had to wait. No matter how it hurt.

"Thank you," Sara finally spoke softly, genuine thanks in her quiet voice.

"No problem. Anyway though...if you want to know more about Danny, you'll need to ask him yourself." Lena held a hand to her face, a loud yawn echoing from behind it. Her own face flushed, the rings under her eyes even more notable now. "And I probably _should_ sleep myself."

Sara sent a smile at the younger woman, walking up to her. The carrier put a gentle hand on Lena's arm, her blonde hair falling between the two. She squeezed softly, looking in the other woman's eyes, "You should. I can keep an eye out for those...whatever they were. You two should both sleep."

"But..." Lena tried to protest, only for Sara to put a finger to her mouth.

"No, don't worry. I won't let _anything_ happen to either of you. Just get some rest, okay?"

While it looked like she was unhappy about it, Lena didn't argue the point. She just found a chair of her own, and curled up into a little ball, eyes drooping shut. It was only when her breathing leveled out, that Sara let her own shoulders slump.

These two...they cared more than anyone she had seen, in a long time. And at that moment?

Sara made a vow, silent and unspoken, but powerful nonetheless.

 _I will never let any harm come to either of them. So long as I still draw breath.  
_

* * *

Guam was a historic location. One of the first true _colonies_ of the United States of America, taken from Spain in the Spanish-American War. Site of one of the fiercest battles in World War II. Part of the island group that had housed the Atomic Bombs that fell on Japan. Where the Japanese Navy had died as a true fighting force in the 'Turkey Shoot'.

All of these were apt descriptors.

And all of them were moot.

"My God..." Lena breathed out, her eyes staring out at the island from Sara's bridge.

I found it hard to dispute her reaction, my own stare stunned and wide. Guam was American, no matter what the technical legalities of the island's status were. And that meant that...

"It's just like Pearl..."

That whisper came from Sara, the carrier gripping her arms tightly. Her face was locked in a _frightened_ reaction, her eyes looking out in the classic thousand-yard stare. Sara had to have seen Pearl after the attack, if she were actually able to see back then. This had to be hitting her, just like it was hitting me.

It may be decades removed for either of us, but she likely saw the burning hulk of _Arizona_. I saw smoke rising above the New York skyline.

 _American land, burning. It has been so long, but..._

"Right, let's...let's try and see if anyone's alive." I croaked out, my voice weak and shaking.

This must be what anyone who saw war, up close and personal, felt like. Anyone who had seen their homes burnt to the ground. It was...it was not an experience I enjoyed.

For Guam was burning, and as I shakily took binoculars from Sara, I could see why. The naval base, small as it may be, was a cratered ruin. The buildings were ruined, burning hulks. As was a familiar sight, sunk at her moorings. A submarine tender, one of the few ships assigned to the remote island. Her hull was broken, the remains of the ship settled on the bottom of the harbor, only a relatively little bit sticking above the waves.

The base was gone, and I could only hope that _someone_ was still alive there...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"I can't go any closer..."

"No, this is fine. Don't worry about it Sara."

I clenched my fist by my side, looking out at the ruined naval station. Thick, choking black smoke rose from ruined buildings, black splotches in an otherwise clear sky. There were no flames...but that hardly mattered. Because even from this distance, the debris in the water too cluttered for a ship of Sara's size to get closer, I could see the damage. Shattered frames. Ruined walls. Blackened roofs.

Naval Station Guam was a destroyed husk.

"Danny, you thinking what I'm thinking?" Lena whispered softly by my side, her hand gripping my own tightly.

"Yeah..." I forced my hand to relax, gently squeezing my sister's. The smell of burning wood and tortured metal was quite clear in the air, but I tried to avoid focusing on that. "Whatever did this hit hard and fast. Maybe more than once."

Casting one last look at the ruined buildings, I turned my head instead to the woman who had gotten us here.

"Sara? What do _you_ think?"

The aircraft carrier, her blue eyes filled with an old pain, shook her head at me, "I...this reminds me far too much of Pearl Harbor, Captain. The way that the buildings were hit. The ship in dock. I...it..." Sara sucked in a breath, her shoulders shaking ever so slightly. "It's all too familiar."

"That's what I thought too." A sigh escaped my lips. Yeah...this was _way_ too familiar. "Might even have been a carrier that did this. And if it's still around..."

I didn't need to finish the sentence. I _didn't_ finish it. Lena sent me a sharp look, and Sara flinched slightly. Couldn't blame either of them, this was all so very _new_ and _frightening_. In more ways than one!

But yet, familiar. A surprise attack on an American naval base, but no land invasion. Ruined ships and buildings, but no troops. The parallels were worrying.

Letting out another sigh, I shook my head and walked away from the railing I had been standing next to. "Come on, we need to get down there. If this was a carrier, I want to see if anyone's alive out there who can tell us. Better to know than not to know, right?"

"You're the Captain," Lena shrugged, a forced levity to her tone. A strained smile on her face, "I mean, literally. And all."

Even in this situation, I couldn't help but roll my eyes, "Yeah, I am."

I appreciated the gesture though, and if the smile Sara wore was any indication, so did she. I had only known her for a few days, but I liked to think I was getting better at reading her. She reminded me of some teacher's I'd had once upon a time...quiet and calm. It was relaxing to talk to her, honestly, and her smile just had you wishing you saw it more often.

 _Hopefully, I will see it more often. But for now..._

Well, for now we needed to get to the island. And for that, we had an old whaleboat. That the carrier was standing at the wheel of, while a crane moved to lower it into the water.

Good thing Sara inherited some things from her crew, eh?

"Let's get going," I clambered into the boat, my legs brushing against the rough wood. The sound of my body dropping into the boat, Lena soon to follow, was loud. A rough _slap_ of flesh against wood.

But at least it was better than explosions.

"I'm ready when you are, Captain..." Sara spoke softly, her crane reaching down to the hoist mounted on the whaleboat. "Are you sure you don't want to go closer to shore?"

A small frown crossed my face, "Completely sure, Sara. If we have to leave quickly, I'd rather not have to worry about you running aground or into a wreck."

Even as I said that, I placed a hand on her arm, my frown twisting into what I hoped was a comforting smile.

"That said, I'm glad you're questioning things."

The carrier flushed bright pink at that, but her smile- small as it was -could have lit up an opera house.

 _-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-_

Stepping out of the whaleboat and onto solid ground, I found myself missing that smile. Away from the massive form of _Saratoga_ , the smoke in the air was far more _present_. I could taste the harshness of burning wood. And it wasn't like that was the only issue, the _smell_ of fire and death...

 _It's one thing to fight a battle from a distance, and I haven't even really done that..._

Squaring my shoulders, I pushed forward from the cracked little pier we had docked at. I didn't need to look over my shoulder to see that Sara and Lena were following, but they were both silent. My sister was probably struggling to take everything in...if it was hard on me, it was worse on her. She was not a soldier of any stripe. Sara...well.

She was just quiet in general.

"Hello!" I called out, cupping my hands over my mouth, "Is anyone still alive out here?!"

I wasn't sure if I expected an answer, but I had to at least try.

And yet, only silence greeted the shout. Save for the rush of wind and the distant crackle of fires and collapsing buildings. It was a warzone, right out of a movie. And it...I...

"Captain..." Sara's soft voice _was_ the only answer. "Wouldn't anyone still alive have..."

Sighing, I nodded wearily, "Yeah. Anyone alive would have moved to safer ground by now."

"Well, then shouldn't _we_ do that?" Lena's voice was far more _shaky_ than mine or Sara's, when she spoke.

Twisting around to look at my sister, I frowned slightly. She had her arms wrapped around her chest, the water-stained fabric of her shirt stretched taught over her torso. Her shoulders shook. And when she noticed me staring? She turned her eyes up to meet my own, blue meeting green.

Haunted look meeting sad reality.

"Yeah, we need to find someone," I may have said that, but I still turned around and walked _back_ to my sister. Lena grimaced at my action, but she didn't move away.

She just stood there when I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and squeezed gently.

"I'm not a kid, Danny..." Lena weakly protested. But still, she didn't move.

I just sighed, "No, you aren't. But you aren't a soldier either." Giving another gentle squeeze, I turned my head to Sara. Who, for her part, was just giving us both a sad smile. "Come on, let's get moving again. We're not going to find anyone here."

"Lead the way, Captain." Sara replied, holding up her hand to gesture at the smoking buildings in the distance.

Another sigh rumbled it's way up my throat, as I shook my head. This was, in more ways than one, not what I expected to be doing when I joined the Navy. But it didn't stop me from walking forward anyway, Lena tucked to my side. In any other situation, both of us would have been protesting that. My arm around her shoulder as I guided her along a charred road.

But then, this wasn't most situations.

Our feet _crunching_ along broken asphalt was not _normal_. The whistle of wind through burnt out husks, was not something we _should_ hear. Seeing an American military base reduced to ruins...

Hit harder than it probably should have.

"Captain," Sara pulled up alongside me, her steps much louder than my own, "I...I think there might be someone close."

My back stiffened, but I didn't show any other outward signs of noticing, "Hm?"

"I can hear footsteps. Maybe because I have to hear things far away from my hull...?" The old carrier trailed off, shaking her head sharply. Strawberry blonde slapped against her cheeks- and mine -as her blue eyes narrowed slightly. "I guess it doesn't matter. There's someone out there. I'm sure of it!"

"I see..."

Turning my head up, I scanned the dilapidated buildings we were rapidly approaching. Guam was not my home port, but even with the damage done I could- and did -recognize the central offices of the Naval Station.

And, if I looked _just right_ , the glint of a rifle scope peaking out from one of the shattered windows.

"Danny..." Lena seemed to have noticed as well, tucking in tighter to my side.

Yeah, she was afraid alright.

"Don't worry sis," I gently gripped her shoulder, staring up at the building. Thrusting my chest out, I shouted at the loudest tone I could make my voice go, "I see you there! There is no need to worry, I'm a Captain in the United States Navy!"

Admittedly, my shorts and dark grey t-shirt that I had been wearing when Bikini was attacked did little to emphasize that image...

"Name and ID!"

Yet, a voice shouted back. A hoarse voice, with more than a little pain held in its tone. But a very _human_ voice, nonetheless.

Without even realizing it, my shoulders slumped slightly in relief. Hostile or not, suspicious or not, _at least someone was alive_.

"Daniel Jones, Captain USN, 00815747!" And if my voice held a little bit of that relief when I listed off my name, rank and serial number? Well...I couldn't well be blamed for that, now could I?

And indeed, the rifle in the window lowered. Or, at the least, the glint vanished. Replaced by a haggard face of a Marine, his brown eyes filled with a _hunted_ look, even from this distance. A white cloth was wrapped around his forehead, red staining the fabric. There was a barely healed cut crossing across his cheek as well, the man clearly having been through...whatever had attacked Guam.

"You have no idea how good it is to hear a friendly voice, Captain!" The Marine's gruff voice shouted down from the window, a hint of confusion in it now. But mostly relief similar to my own. "You come in on that carrier? Never seen one like it!"

"I did, yes!" My eyes drifted to Sara, but only for a split-second. The situation was going to be confusing enough without explaining exactly _what_ carrier I had come in on. "Your name, Marine? And what happened here?"

The Marine's roughed-up face twisted into a sardonic smile, a hand- presumably the hand not gripping his rifle -coming up in a non-regulation salute, "Corporal Tom Hackett, sir. And...well, it'd be easier to take you to the Colonel to explain that, Captain."

 _A colonel...well..._

"At least someone is in command here," I muttered softly, finally pulling away from my sister and setting up towards the damaged building, "Will do! Just let whoever else is in there know I'm coming with my sister and a..." Green eyes drifted to Sara again, noting the _nervousness_ in her stance. "A friend."

"Will do sir!" Hackett called back, vanishing from the window.

And leaving me to wonder exactly how this meeting was going to go...

 _-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-_

"I apologize for the condition of our base, Captain...and for the fact that your sister and friend have to wait with the civilians."

My first impression of Colonel Mann was that the Marine had been through hell and back...and done it more than once. His face was swathed in bandages, some darkened with old blood. The faintest stubble was visible where the bandages didn't cover, covering a square chin. A _strong_ chin. In fact, one could say that about the man _entirely_. He was built like a tank. All muscle and squareness, that just emphasized what the bandages already said.

That he was a tough old dog who wouldn't stay down as long as he was needed.

Granted, his dark brown eyes staring out at me with an appraising expression probably helped that case...

"Considering what hit you, I'd say it's a good thing there's anything intact at all," I replied, hand unconsciously tapping at my leg. Nerves...yeah, even I'd admit I was nervous about this. "And I apologize for being out of uniform. My sister and I were visiting Bikini to dive on the wrecks when this all happened. We got _very_ lucky to still be alive."

"Aren't we all?" Colonel Mann gave a rhetorical reply, gesturing with his bandage-swathed hand at the ruined office we sat in. Papers were scattered every which way, the plaster of the walls were cracked...and the door was flat out missing.

The man had a point.

"That said, what I want to know is where you found an old World War Two flattop to sail around in," the gruff Marine continued, his sharp eyes narrowing at me.

My hand immediately stopped tapping, as I froze in place. Despite myself, I couldn't stop my green eyes from widening at the Colonel, his own mouth twisting into a solid frown. There was no humor in his expression at all. And it had me sweating slightly.

"You actually know what she is?" My voice was admirably calm as I asked that, despite having to force myself from twitching at the other man's gaze.

Mann laughed harshly, "It's not a supercarrier. And the monsters that did this had one like it."

 _Lexington...?_

"Like Sara?"

The Marine frowned, "So that's her name. And no, not exactly. But a straight deck? Smaller than a supercarrier?"

On the one hand, I felt myself sag slightly in relief. I did _not_ want to be the one to tell Sara that either her sister was one of these monsters...or that they were using her form. On the other hand, it confirmed what I had feared in the first place. That the similarities to the attack on Pearl weren't just similarities. It _had_ been an air attack, perhaps more than one. Carriers attacking the Marianas...

And for all we knew, that carrier was still out there...somewhere.

"If you have any pictures, I might be able to tell you what it was, exactly," I sucked down a breath while saying that, in an attempt to steady my nerves. This was so very out of my experience...but I had to move forward. No other choice. "That aside...how many people are still alive? Were the cities hit?"

Colonel Mann still looked at me with narrowed eyes, but the old Marine sighed softly nonetheless. His hands fell down on the desk he sat behind, the _older_ wood creaking with the motion.

"We have pictures of that bitch, yeah." Mann practically spat those words out, his fingers clenched tightly against the desk. "And yes, the cities were hit. Bastards hit them right after our last fighter was shot down. They didn't do much damage, but we still lost most of the military personnel on the island. Probably a few hundred civilians too. We're still combing the cities to see how many died."

My heart dropped into my stomach, shoulders slumping completely. "Oh god..."

"God ain't got nothing to do with this, Captain. Now, I don't much care where you got that carrier. But I want to know if you can get your crew down here and help us search the cities."

"I..." Shaking my head, I turned my eyes on the old Marine, staring directly into his own. This wasn't going to be an easy thing to explain... "I don't _have_ a crew."

"What?" Mann's voice was flat and cold, his eyes narrowed to flint.

"I don't have a crew." I repeated, my gaze flicking to the doorway where I knew Sara was. "It...it'll take a bit to explain."

And wasn't _that_ an understatement.

* * *

For the first time since she had returned, Sara found herself alone. Her Captain, her dear Captain, was talking with the Colonel in charge of the survivors. Lena had gone off in search of food. And that had left her, standing on the steps of the ruined building, looking out at the distant harbor. And for all that it was clothed in smoke, at her hull. It was...it was a _very_ strange feeling being this far from her hull. Leaving it at all, in fact.

It was almost like looking at her body, despite knowing that _her body_ was the arm pointing out at her hull. She still couldn't shake the feeling that the large stacks, so very distinctive as _her_ and Lex's, were what she should be. The long, lean lines of her battlecruiser hull. Not the thin arm or powerful legs of her body. It was...hard to disassociate herself from her hull.

So very hard...

"Oh Captain...I don't even know what to feel..." Sara sighed softly, her arm dropping back to her side, even as her left rose to gently comb through her strawberry-blonde hair.

It was sad, but she wanted to talk to her Captain. Their talks had always been so informative...so _different_. For someone who had never talked to another soul save for her fellow warships- _Lexie..._ -it was a very strange feeling. But a _nice_ one.

And talking with him helped her learn what it was like to be something _other_ than a ship.

Letting out another melancholic sigh, the old carrier began to turn away from the distant harbor...

Only to run smack into a small body.

"I'm sorry!" A tiny voice cried, an equally small body flinching back from Sara's towering form. "I was just going to ask if you wanted any water miss..."

Sara blinked slowly, looking down on a young boy. No older than ten, his bright blue eyes stared up at her curiously. And she stared back just as curiously, wondering where he had come from.

"It's alright," still, Sara smiled softly, crouching down to look the boy in the eyes at _his_ level. "And thank you, but I don't need any water right now."

"Are you sure?" The boy shuffled slightly, wide eyes staring at the carrier.

"I'm sure." Sara nodded, though part of her...

Well, part of her couldn't help but wonder if turning the water down was a bad thing. The boy had come out here to bring it to her, despite the fact his clothes were dirty. There was a small bandage across his cheek even. And his smile had faded slightly...

"I guess I can bring it back to Mama then." The boy sighed himself, tucking the bright blue water-bottle under his arm. "But, what's your name, miss? So I can find you again?"

Small smile crossing her face, Sara replied, "I'm...Sara."

"Just Sara?"

"Just Sara." The carrier confirmed, voice quiet.

She couldn't very well tell him she was Sara _toga_ , could she? Though part of her wondered if saying that would even mean anything to the boy. Her Captain...well, it was easy to forget when talking to him that _he knew more than anyone_. How many people even knew she existed, leave alone what her name was? Not many, and even she knew that. She had known it when she rested in that isle.

Sara knew it even more now, with what her dear officer had told her. And maybe, just a little...it saddened her. To be forgotten like that.

"Well, I'm Barry," the pale little boy held out his free hand, holding it at Sara. "Nice to meet you!"

Smile remaining in place, Sara hesitantly reached out and took the hand. Barry shook it up and down, a wide grin on his own face, despite it tugging on the bandage on his cheek.

"Nice to meet you too," the old carrier let her hand fall away from the boy's, her voice taking on a little curiosity in its tone, "Your mother is here too?"

"Yup!" Barry brightly replied...but it quickly faded, a small frown replacing the grin on his face. "Um...we were going to visit my brother. But we...we haven't found him yet. Not since the attack..."

A spike of pain jammed into Sara's heart when she heard that, her breath catching in her throat, "I...I'm sorry to hear that."

And she truly was. Sara knew what it was like...to hear that your sibling was gone. She knew that pain all too well, no matter how very many years had passed. The open sore in her heart where Lex had once been had never quite faded. Not even with the place Lexie had taken up in her heart. So...

Yes, despite everything, Sara could understand at least that much.

"It's fine." Barry put on a brave front though, shaking his head with a small grin crossing his face again. "Bro's a tough guy, I'm sure he's fine! 'sides, we've got help now! You came in on that big boat, right?"

"Ship, not a boat," Sara pushed a smile of her own on her face, recognizing a topic change. She may not know exactly what it meant to be _human_ yet...but she knew that much, at the very least. "A boat is much smaller, trust me."

Barry tilted his head, "It is?"

"Yes. To be more specific, I...she is an _aircraft carrier_."

If the child noticed her slip-up, he didn't show it. The little boy's gaze moved past the carrier, and towards her hull in the distance. Even shrouded in smoke as it was, Sara knew he could see everything. If there was any one thing that could be said about her ship-body it was the fact that she was... _large_. She was the largest carrier- ship -in the world for the longest time, and she knew that. So Sara knew the boy could see her.

But she wasn't expecting him to turn from the ship, to her. With a small frown on his face, as he tapped his foot on the cracked stairway they both stood upon.

"A carrier? Bro told me what those are, they carry the fighter jets," Barry nodded with the sort of childish confidence only a young boy could produce. Confidence in what his brother had told him. "But they're a lot bigger than that. And they have that angle!"

"Well, my ship is a bit older than that," Sara's smile was a bit more brittle now, but she hid it well. Angle? Bigger?

"Oh...do you think Mom and I can come visit later?"

"I don't see why not, but you'd have to ask the Captain."

Before Sara could react, Barry had run forward and flung his arms around her torso, squeezing tightly, "Thanks Sara! That's so _cool_! I've never been on a bo...ship like that before!"

"I...it's no problem."

"Let me go ask Mom, and I'll be right back!"

Even as he said that, the boy let go of the carrier, and sprinted back into the building with a second glance back. Leaving a confused girl behind, holding a hand to her heart.

 _I...is this..._

Sara squeezed the soft fabric of her uniform, her heart beating fast underneath her hand. Was this what it was like, to...talk with someone? Without any baggage, just as one human to another? Barry had no idea she was a warship. He just saw her as another woman, maybe one dressed a bit odd...but nothing special. And...part of her...

Liked that. Liked the idea that she could talk to someone, without any worry about what they would think of her.

 _Captain...can_ we _talk like that?_


End file.
